Coyle delight as Nugent brace fires Clarets win

DAVID NUGENT hogged the headlines after his stunning late double sunk Sunderland at Turf Moor but Burnley boss Owen Coyle insists a strong team ethic remains crucial to more Barclays Premier League success.

Nugent, a deadline day loan signing from Portsmouth, made a mockery of his paltry scoring record at Fratton Park by coming off the bench to score two superb goals and maintain his side’s 100% home record with a 3-2 victory over Sunderland.

A ‘Nugent For England’ banner fluttering in the home end was a timely reminder of how a once-touted talent – he scored on his only international appearance against Andorra in 2007 – had gone astray on the south coast.

“To get two goals is a great start for me,” Nugent said afterwards. “I just want to play and score more goals and that’s what I’ve come here for. I hope I can stay here and get the chance.”

Nugent’s late strikes were rich reward for the home side’s sterling second-half display after a first period which was largely bossed by the visitors, for whom Darren Bent cancelled out Graham Alexander’s early penalty.

Coyle said: “David will rightly get the headlines but our strength is not in one or two players – it’s in the group. I’m delighted we picked the same team that lost at Liverpool despite pressure to change. I felt they were due my loyalty after their performances against United and Everton and they have repaid me.”

It was not just Nugent’s dramatic intervention that shocked Sunderland boss Steve Bruce, who conceded he had no sense of what was coming after a first period his side largely controlled.

The visitors continued to look lively, with Bent driving a shot straight at Brian Jensen, before coolly converting his fifth league goal of the season after springing the offside trap in the 39th minute.

“Darren’s got off to a great stat and produced a wonderful return,” said Bruce. “But we can’t just keep relying on Darren to get our goals.”